How Many Engineers . .

We’ve been in this house about 2-1/2 years. The house is about 8 years old. The ceiling fans came from Home Depot — Hampton Bay brand. The lighting on four them is just horrible. The one in the master bedroom has amazing light. The family room/eating area is all one big open space and there are two fans in there. They’ve always had horrible lighting. Apparently these lights take “intermediate” bulbs and they are very hard to find. They’re not candelabra or medium . . which are easy to find. We tried to get new light kits for them . . no . . can’t get those. Vince found some little adapters that you screw into the holes and then you can screw in medium end bulbs. The problem there is that it makes the bulbs stick way out of the globes.

Bulbs in Fan

These bulbs are honestly sticking out about 4″. The problem with them is that they take forever to get bright. If we turn the dining room light on when we start to eat dinner, by the time dinner is done, the light is bright! I hate that!

When we were at Home Depot Friday (believe it or not, we didn’t go on Saturday), Vince found some kind of flat looking disk bulb and he said “Oh, these may work!” He got one to try it. This evening, we were going to Home Depot so he tried the bulb so, if it worked, he could get more.

Vince: Oh, this is great! It comes right on and it’s bright!
Me: NO WAY!
Vince: What’s wrong with it?
Me: It sticks out of the globe about 6″ and it’s ugly (think . . big white disk sticking out).
Vince: That’s the best we’re going to do.
Me: You think?

That conversation did not end well but off to Home Depot we went. Vince said “Are you staying in the car?” Nope, I’ll be in the lighting area!

By the time he found me, I was talking to a guy who does remodeling and he was giving me his business card.

Vince: Did you find a light that will work (knowing I probably did not!)
Me: No . . but this nice man has a remodeling business and he will change the ceiling fans for us!
Vince: *I* can change a ceiling fan!

I knew he could and he will eventually but it took that little exchange for him to think I really might hire someone to do it . . tomorrow . . if he thinks big flat disk light bulbs are going to stick 6″ out of the light fixtures!

In the end, we did find bulbs that may work but . . I don’t know for sure because Vince had the whole light apart and dropped a screw and we can’t find it so until he gets to the hardware store and gets another screw . . this is what we have.

Ceiling Fan

Sometimes the simplest of tasks . . like changing a light bulb . . can be the biggest pain!

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Both my husband and I are engineers; our consensus was to hire an electrician to change the chandelier that we needed a scaffold to reach; before we had it installed, we found LED bulbs that fit so we wouldn’t have to get a scaffold to change light bulbs while we’re living in this house.

I do hate that there are so many different types and sizes of bulbs and glass covers for existing lighting, you practically have to go online and search for hours or buy new fixtures to get the sizes to work out.

I got a ceiling fan recently, and realized after it was installed that it would only support the tiny candelabra bulbs. Why I didn’t think of that before, I don’t know….no excuses, I just didn’t. Then I found out the light kit couldn’t be changed, and most ceiling fan manufacturers are using those little candelabra lights, anyway.
I got those screw in adjusters and bigger bulbs, and just live with the fact the lights extend out several inches. I got some grow lights from Amazon and used those. It’s a pretty small room (my craft room) & it is nice and bright! I have a few plants, so I wanted grow lights. The light is very true, too – so colors are very accurate. As long as I don’t dwell on the fact that they extend too far, I’m happy! 🙂

Okay, I admit it, I’m laughing. Near as I can tell it takes a houseful of *engineers* to do anything … unless they are female, and then one can usually handle it. =) Yeah, change the whole fan. Get it over with and move on with bright lighting!

I love the fan we had installed in the family room. Has a solid globe on the bottom with adjustable lighting. All the ones will eventually get replaced. Galen may or may not do the ones in the bedrooms when we get around to them. The one in the family room-the electricians were here anyway, no extra trip charge. The one on the upstairs landing we will probably have an electrician do it, another high ceiling. The ones we are slowly replacing are the Hampton Bay, but close to 20 years old. They have served their purpose as the fans are on almost all the time.

U know there has to be a better way to change a light bulb. Thinking of that old joke how many____ does it take to change a light bulb.
Well no light bulbs but dinky dim one’s seem to fit in my kitchen too. N my DH is an electrician.
the cobblers children have no shoes!

Judy, I agree. I hate the new light bulbs. The ones in the fan in our family room take forever to get bright and then they really aren’t that bright and I can no longer read with only that light. We must have purchased 4 different types of lights for our bathroom and finally found one that works for me. Call me old fashioned but I want the old style lights back!

When we moved into this house (our retirement home) there were two fans/lights … one in the master bedroom and one in the living room (at a height of about 25 feet). They were Hampton Bay brand and for some reason they made noise when they were on and the lighting was AWEFUL!! We changed both of them out for Casablanca brand fans (soooo happy) but we had the same discussion about whether the “Boyfriend” would do it or we’d have an electrician in. He did the master bedroom because it was “reachable” with a regular ladder. The living room one was done by a professional and even “Boyfriend” was willing to let someone scale those heights!

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Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know more about me, Judy Laquidara, than you want to know?My husband, Vince, and I live on a little hobby farm with a few chickens, a small orchard and a garden. Besides quilting, hobbies include knitting, cooking, gardening, tending the chickens and reading. Read More…

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